Feeding mechanism for hoppers



' May 29, 1928.

H. MULLENDORE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HOPPERS Filed Jan. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. f/.muuenclor BY M MM ATTORNEYS.

May 29, 192s.

H. MU LLENDORE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HOPPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 22, 1925 1 N VEN TOR.

Muggen clore BY mg 21x, UML

A TTORNE Y.

Patented May29, 1 928.

HARVEY iiwLLnNnonn, or roar WAYNE, minimum, Assrenon 'ro i i f v1,611,117

ranmiicrrron mis CUIT` COMPANY, OF FORT WAYNE,` INDIANA, A CURPOBAZIION.

` liminaire Macmmsm iron normas..

n "Application filed `ian-nary 22,112,326! Srial No. 83,067.

The linvention relates generally to devices for depositing materials, upon cakes and other bakery goods wherein the goods are conveyed under a hopper from which nia-4 tei'i-als, Vsuch nuts, are caused to descend onto the goods to Vform a top coatin'gkon the goods and the invention is directed iarti'cu` fed to the hopper. y v

The ob`ect of the invention` is to provide y a machine of the class described with simple and eflicient means by which materials may be fedinto a hopper in an even bed so that an even discharge of the materials from the hopper is effecte-d'to coat uniformly a multiplicity of goods carried beneath the hopper. Another object is to provide the machine with novel meansby which the coatingn'ia terialsthat do not engagey onthe goods trav` elliiig beneath the hopper ai'e collected'and' automatically conveyed back to the feeding mechanism. y

An embodiment of. the invention isillustratedfin the accompanying drawings in" f which:

Figure 1 isa front elevational view of a` vcoating machine having the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2aside eleva-tional view ofthe saine;` Fig. 3 an. elevational Viewk a. fraction of the `spout oscillatingv mech.`

.l'anisni; Fig. 4,` anlenlarged elevational vicw such of the materials as do not lodge on the of thespoiit shifting mechanism; Fig. 5 an end view of the clutch mechanism; Fig. 6 a side View of thefsame; 7 a rear view of the spoilt andA operating attachments therefor and Fig. 8 a side view of the saine.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the machine is Vdesignedto deposit materials, such as peanuts, upon cakes oi' cookies that are prepared or iced to engage the nuts. An endless belt or conveyor 1 is suit-ably supported kon the main frame 2 and is suitably driven in thel direction ofthe arrow, the goods to be coated being fed or placed on the belt kwith their sticky sidesup-A pei-most. A second endless belt or other forni of conveyor 1`,` receives the coated goods 'from the belt 1. and carries them to a desired point.

The belt 1 is "preferably perferated suchas a wire screenof suitable mesh to permit goods to pass through it and into the hopper 3. From this hopper 3 the coating inaterials pass into the lower end of a conduit 4 which communicates at its upper end with rly to` means by which the materials are lto thel slot a receptacle @having a chute, 6' projecting' outwardly` and downwardly therefrom. An endless conveyor T is mounted in the Vconduit by which the materials are continuously elevatedto the receptacle 5 andthe chute 6; A

` spout 8 pivoted' at 9y to abiacket 10* that projects `upwardly from the middle point` of 4the feeding ho per I0. This hopper issuitablysuspende on the frame 2 over thebelt 1 and extends transversely across the belt. It is preferably V .shap`e in cross-section and the bottom is open to form a discharge slot 11 for the hopper. y a A feed roller 12 having projections 13 on its peripher' is revolubly mounted adjacent l,` `its shaft 14 having a pull'e l5 thereon engaged a belt 16. AThe heilt y 16 also engages ya pulle 1( secured to a `counter-shaft 18that is riveli by a belt 18' which enga-ges a pulley 18" on said shaft 18 and also a pulley on acountershaft 19. A` belt 2() engages a pulley 19b on the shaft .19`

and also a pulley 21aon the amature shaft of. an' electric motor 21. The conveyor T is.` driven by a `belt 22 thatis engaged on a pulley 23 fixed on the shaft 19.` y

` Since the ho er 10 `is relatively long `it is desired to distribute the feed of coating materials in an even bed throu hout the length of the ho persothat the eed roller 12 will cause a fi in of the coating materials extending substantially across the belt l to descend onto the goods to be coated." To accomplish this even bed ofthe feed in the hopper 10 the spout 8 ispivoted adjacent to the hopper as above described and it is oscillated over the hopper by the lfollowing described mechanism. A bracket 24 is secured to the'spout upon `which isslidablyA engaged an arm 25 that is secured to a trav elling member 26 engaged on a screw 27 revolubly mounted on the frame 2, or the extension 2 thereof. Two arms 28 and 28* depend from the traveller, their lower ends heilig adjacent a bar 29 that isinounted for 100` longitudinal reciprocation. Two pins 30 .and 30a project from the bar at selected points which are adaptedto be abiitted byl the arms 28, 28a respectively. One end of the bar 29 is pivoted to tlielower ends of 10e their upper ends to the upper ends of the' 1N levers 31,311res ectively and also to the main frame 2, an either or each lever carries two pins 35, 35 that project inwardly and are adapted to alternately abut the opposite edges of a yoke 36, the lower Aend of which yoke is loosely mounted on the pivot B2. The distance between the ins 35,

35'QL is predetermined and is greater t an the width of the yoke 36 so that the levers will swing a selected: distance before the pin 35 or 35a will abut the yoke. Thel upper end of this yoke 36 is pivotally connected to op osite sides of `a clutch member 37 that is slidably secured tothe screw 27 and is adapted to engage a clutch pulley 38 loosely mounted on the screw 27 and driven by a belt 39 that engages a pulley 40 on the shaft 1%). The clutch member 37 is also adapted to engzw'e a clutch pulley 41 loosely mounted on tie screw 27 and driven in the opposite direc tion to that of the ulley 38 by a cross belt 42 that engages a puiley 43 also secured to the shaft 19. The clutch pulleys 38 and 41, therefore, rotate constantly in opposite di` c. rections and the screw 27 is driven lirst in one direction and then the other as the clutch member is shifted into successive engagement with them.

Assuming that the belt is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow and the clutch member 37 is in engagement with the clutch pulley 41, the screw is rotated counter'- clockwise (Fig. 2) by the cross 4belt #12." The traveller 26, therefore, moves away from the pulley Ll1 carrying the spout 8 with it. When the arm 28" on the traveller abuts the pin on the bar 29, the bar is caused to reciprocate to the right (Fig. The bar, therefore, swings lthe levers vtoward the left and the pin eventually engages the yoke 36 and rocks it to causethe clutch member to move or snap into engagement with the clutch pulley 38. The bar 29 has nearly reached the limit of its throw by the timel Leva??? the pin 35l abutsv the yoke 36, and the levers where the upper end of the springs have passed beyond the center orbeyond the vertical plane of the pivotalpoint `of the levers. The pin a'causes the yoke 36 to disconnect the clutch member from the clutch pulley 41 and the springs cause the said member to snap or move rapidly intopengagement with the clutch pulley 38 to cause the screw to rotate in the opposite direction, and there by cause the spout to swing toward the oppositey end lor' the hopper. The oscillations ofthe spout are continued in the above manner so long as the machine is in operation. The conveyer 7 continuously carries the surplus coating materials that" drop through the conveyer belt 1 to the receptacle and` the chute 6 directs the materials to the spout that swings back and forth to form the even bed ofl the materials in the hopper.

What I claim is:

In a machine of the class` described the combination with a conveyer and a hopper disposed above and transversely to the conveyer and adapted to'deliver materials to the conveyer, of a swinging conductor sup# ported on the hopper, means to feed the materials to the conductor, a revoluble screw, a follower on the screw and having a connec tion to the conductor for swinging the same, two loose pulleys on the screw adapted to drive the screw in opposite directions,v a clutch mechanism lto connect either pulley to the screw, a reciprocable member connected to the clutch mechanism and having longitudinally spaced lues thereon and means on the follower and slldably engaging the said member and adapted to'engage the lugs al ternately at predetermined oints of time to reciprocate said member an cause the clutch mechanism to engage the pulleys alternately.

HARVEY 'MULLENDORE 45 by that time have been rocked to a point 

